Once the Death Saurer was destroyed, people began moving on with their lives. The people began to rebuild and come up with new technology and building structures. An example is the Travel Plaza. It is a giant dome shaped building with everything from Restaurants to Arcades, and many places to buy things that are needed for everyday life, or everyday Zoid Piloting.

The Wings of Apocalypse

The desert sand baked much like it always did, and the Travel Plaza was full of life and movement, much like it always was. Gustav's pulling trailers moved in and out like ants in an anthill. No one stuck out too much then another, at least from outward appearances. Some had trailers with big metal boxes full of supplies, and others had trailers with Zoids standing on them.

One such Gustav, pulling a pair of old Molgas, rolled to a stop outside, rocking back and fourth as it came to a full and complete stop. The transporter sighed, shutting the Zoid down for the moment, and looking to his back seat. Normally, the man traveled alone, but he'd gotten a bizarre request. Polite, but bizarre...

"Hey, girl, we're here," he said, leaning back over his seat and rapping his knuckles on a gray rocky shell.

Hnn? Oh! bits of what appeared to be a pile of rocks taking up the man's back seat shifted and moved, a sinuous neck lifting up a horned head with black eye sockets. The rocky armor plates grated against each other as the rock dragon snapped her head up to look out at the looming Travel Plaza. It was the largest building the Organoid had ever seen, at least as far as she could remember. Which wasn't much, admittedly.

The transporter popped the canopy open, and the Organoid slithered out to drop to the ground. Thank you so much for helping me. What do I owe you? the Organoid asked sweetly, mental voice obviously female. "Haha, don't worry about it. Now go find your friend, Organoid," the man leaned out to give the Organoid a farewell pat on the head, and went to unloading his trailer.

Left on her own now, the stone beast looked at the intimidating building, and decided to head inside. She just had to find Tom, and that couldn't be too hard, right? She could... hear him, almost. Pietra figured that she just had to follow the 'sound' and eventually she'd come upon her master. One of them, anyways.

Casting a quick glance back at the man to make sure he was alright, she clomped into the Travel Plaza slowly, taking time to look around at all the new sights and sounds. She really liked new places, and this place was huge! Even with the people staring at her, she was having fun walking and looking around.

Tom wasn't anticipating this day to be different from any other. It was already shaping up much the same way as everything else - wake up, shower, collect paper, eat, do necessary paperwork in his office, and then just sit around reading said paper. He wasn't expecting any planned visitors, and his two Zoids always gave plenty of warning in case of prospective customers.

Somehow, being on guard duty didn't stop the Genosaurer and Megaraptor from snoozing in the doorway, their tails poking partway out into the street. Peering up over his paper, Tom looked out at his view of Captain's hind end and contemplated sending Zip to go wake them up. His kinder side eventually won out, as the robot dog was also in a state of shutdown in a tipped over wastebasket and he saw no need to rouse her unnecessarily. Then Zip would just yip at him until she went back to sleep, and that would be annoying.

The Organoid dragged her heavy tail on the ground as she walked along, heavy head snapping from left to right as she slowly ambled along. All around her, there were all kinds of sounds, too. Not just the regular sounds she could hear through her tiny ear holes, but the sounds of life. She was starting to notice that everyone... resonated, on a mental level. If she really tried, she could hear what they were thinking.

She didn't like it. It sort of creeped her out, so she shoved away all the white noise for now and focused on the calming note of her silver-haired friend. He didn't seem to be up to too much, which made her feel better about barging in so suddenly. At least she wasn't interrupting anything.

Done with looking around, at least for now, Pietra cantered a bit faster down the street when she could without mowing anyone over. Spotting a familiar glint of gold, she galloped up till she could spring up messily onto the tip of Captain's tail, scrambling up to sit on the top and stand triumphantly.

Captain! Hey! she said, stomping around on his bony armor and trying to scale his vertebrae up to his back. Though once she got up there, she had no idea how she was going to get down.

The sleeping Megaraptor had little indication that he was suddenly going to be molested in the rear, registering a faint clomping from outdoors that suddenly turned into a heavy weight stomping down onto the end of his tail. Captain's green eye lit up in a flash of light as he squawked and scrambled to his feet, whirling around in a circle to try and see what was assaulting him with his un-eyepatch'd eye.

He nearly clocked Zen in the face when the Genosaurer jumped up in alarm, sending the other saurian reeling backwards and thumping into the wall. WHAT THE CRAP MAN.

MON DIEU ZERE'S A ZING ON MY BACK GETEETOFF!

Very slowly, Tom lowered his paper down and peered over the top of it to stare out at his two Zoids flailing around in the mouth of his hangar. Before his dog could be sufficiently roused, he tipped the wastebasket back into an upright position and stored it behind his desk, ignoring the indignant yips resounding from inside it. He then folded his paper, rolled it up, tucked it under his arm and went out the door.

"Captain," the flailing Megaraptor continued to flail, while Zen looked apologetically over at his pilot from the other side of the drama. Sighing, Tom scratched the side of his head before pursing his lips and sounding out a shrill whistle that made Captain screech to a stop. "If you could cease and desist, please."

Tooooooooom, I waz moleesteed by somezing, the golden Zoid whined, leaning down and tilting both his head and his tail so his pilot could see the nonexistent marks on his armor. Tom looked briefly at the Megaraptor's tailtip, before letting his gaze travel up to rest on the spot between his hipbones.

"You're a wuss. Sit down right now," he commanded, Captain's rear thudding on the floor seconds later. "And enough with the screeching, you've sent Zip into an uproar."

The stone Organoid had no idea that the Zoid would react like he did, so she wasn't really holding on all that tightly. But when he suddenly moved under her, she squawked and dug her claws in, holding on as tightly as she could while the golden Zoid flailed around. She managed to keep a good hold, neatly at the base of the Megaraptor's tail, up until he stopped.

She looked at Tom when Captain turned around to show him, and wagged her tail in midair. Help, she squeaked, holding onto Captain's armor, but slowly sliding down with her weight. Eventually she couldn't hold on anymore without hurting the Zoid, and dropped to the ground like a rock. Sounded like a rock, too, when she hit the floor.

Something cracked, and the Organoid jerked her head in surprise, standing up and looking at the few cracks in her hind end. Meh, oh well. She stretched out, and noting that nothing was wrong, she ambled over to Tom to shove her head into his chest and rumble happily.

"I don't think I can," Tom winced slightly and Captain squawked again when the organoid thudded to the ground, both the floor and her hind end cracking under the impact. He didn't mention the fact that there was now a small crater in his hangar when his chest was full of organoidhead and the rumbling was vibrating his guts.

"You've benefited from time with the frenchman, I see," he commented once he had enough control over his lungs to speak. Captain was staring warily at the organoid now that he recognized her, and Tom shooed him away with a wave of his hand before reaching to pet the sides of her stone head. "Did he tire of your company already?"

The Organoid continued to rumble like a giant stone cat, burying her face into his chest and nuzzling. She must have really missed him. Her dark eyes almost seemed to flicker at the mention of Jean, and she pulled her head back to stare at Tom's face.

Oh, non, j'ai voulu juste à- she stopped, realizing herself, and shook her head. Again, she brought her head up and grinned at Tom, No, I just wanted to visit you. And Murtagh! But the place where Murtagh is, is surrounded by scary green rocks, she paused, and glanced around, before leaning close, I wanna get a little stronger before going. I'm pretty sure when I was standing at the edge, there was something inside that was glaring at me, she whispered, thumping her stone tail on the ground.

Her ears caught onto Zip's yapping, and she looked around before looking towards the source, tilting her head. What's that sound?

If he had to get Captain to translate for the organoid, then Tom was half sure he might go crazy just from all the french flying around in the air. Zen gave a sympathetic chirp from where he was sitting near the wall, peering curiously at this great stone thing that was half knocking his pilot backwards without realizing it. Being a great heavy thing did have its downsides when the object of your great happy affections was built like a twig. But then again, things following Tom home were totally normal here, so the Genosaurer didn't worry too much.

Captain was still thinking about Gilvaders and peering warily from the organoid to out the door and back.

"Ah yes. He was from Nyx, wasn't he?" Tom shifted himself sideways so that he could lean on the organoid's head instead of almost being pushed over by her, watching with a bit of a mental sigh as the heavy rock tail began to produce cracks in the cement floor. "I believe deochalum has poor effects on one's health."

After pausing a moment, he aimed a mental kick at Captain's rear that made the Megaraptor jump. "There are no Gilvaders here, now go sit down."

Oui, monsieur, the golden Bio heaved a long-suffering sigh before trundling over to plop next to Zen and flop on the floor, curling the end of his abused tail around under his chin.

"That...would be my dog," Tom grumbled, glaring at his closed office door for a moment and silently willing the robot to be quiet. "Zen, can't you do something about that?"

I can try, though I dunno, the Genosaurer shrugged, his eyes flashing through a few different shades of purple for a second. The whole wastebasket thing isn't thrilling her too much.

The stone beast finally seemed to realize that she was pushing Tom over and leaned back a little, but still continued to rumble like a giant cat. She also realized that she was destroying Tom's floor, and stopped thumping her tail. Oops.

Sorry, she mumbled, shrinking a little, eyes flickering a tiny bit. It was kind of easy to miss.

She perked again at the mention of Nyx, and bobbed her square head, I think that was what it was called, yeah. It was a weird place... like I said, I did not like it very much, she sighed, resting her head against him and listening to the barking again.

Dog? she perked up, looking at the door, I want to meet your dog! she smiled at Tom, not knowing that it wasn't an organic dog, and not knowing what problems could potentially arise here... But she had an inkling feeling of something.

"Um," Tom looked from the excited organoid to his office door, with barks still clearly resounding from behind it. "No, you actually don't."

What's the harm? You just don't want her howling all evening.

"What, do you? I can lock her in your cockpit," Tom grumbled dryly, watching the Genosaurer make a face. "Zip isn't a real dog and she doesn't like organoids, so it's better if she stays in the trashcan," he explained over his shoulder to the stone organoid, giving her muzzle a pat.

Pietra sagged a little, watching the door as the barking continued. But... she did! Really! Listening to the Genosaurer and Tom, though, she kind of got the picture. Wasn't the kind of dog she was expecting... oh well.

Alright then... she sighed, turning her head to look at him, just as he put his hand on her nose.

She whuffed at Tom, a breath of stale air that ruffled his hair. She could accept that, she supposed. The Organoid seemed to close her eyes at the attention, snuffling his hand.

So, this is where you live? she stood up on her feet and padded a circle around him, looking around quickly. She was naturally curious about everything ever, and wanted to look around... anywhere that the dog wasn't, she supposed.

Tom reached up and put his hair back in order while the stone organoid was clomping around looking at things in the hangar.

"I don't actually live here, this is just my...office space, I guess you could call it." He waved at the space in the hangar with the rows of Zoids lined up, then at the door with all the barking coming from it. "The Zoids in the front are for sale, the ones in the back are waiting to be shipped. My office is behind that door, and my apartment is next door," he explained. While his apartment wasn't huge, it was properly sized enough for a bachelor, he supposed.

The Organoid noticed the Zoids when Tom pointed them out, and ambled over to stand at the end of the row and look down at all the paws and heads looming there. She didn't expect any of them to give her any mind, and didn't really care either way. And while she wanted to amble down the aisle and look at them all, she went back to where Tom was standing to plop down next to him.

Huh. So you just hang out in your office all day? the Organoid asked, head tilting to one side, neck plates grating together.

She stood up again and trotted a circle around him, looking over at all the Zoids again. Pietra really wanted to go look at them, but didn't want to go alone. She didn't want to pester Tom to go with her, either.

"More or less." Sometimes he went grocery shopping, but it was easier to get other people to do that. Usually Alfred, though the boy wasn't around today. No doubt he'd been roped into doing something else at the main base. "There's not much else to do."

Tom watched the organoid pace and prance around him, like she found it impossible to sit still for a moment. "You can go look, you know," he said, waving his hand down the aisle of Zoids. "They won't bite. Half of them don't even have brains."

That... doesn't sound like much fun, actually, Pietra tilted her head at him, drooping. Why didn't he just... go and find adventure?!

Pacing another circle around him, she stopped behind him, looking to the back of his head, then up to the Zoids. She did want to go, and wiggled in anticipation, but... even if some of them were mindless, she didn't want to go alone.

She nudged the back of his shoulder gently with her face, and rested her head there afterward, Could you come with me please? she asked sweetly, tail tip wagging on the floor. I know it sounds silly, but I don't want to go by myself,

Men almost in their early thirties do not go out and find adventure. It tends to drive up the insurance premiums like woah, and Tom's were high enough as it was already. What with his warehouses tending to get destroyed or heavily damaged on a semi-regular basis and whatnot.

Tom sighed through his nose when there was an organoidhead on his shoulder and something Demanding Attention. This would certainly take some getting used to with having to play the good host and all. "I suppose," he said, reaching to carefully remove the stone jaw from his shoulder. it would be easier to walk without lugging the metaphorical ball and chain, and his bones were seriously starting to ache from the weight of the rock. Presumably with overeager organoid clomping behind him, he started down the row of Zoids for a not quite guided tour.

The Organoid lifted her head up when Tom pushed on it, rearing her head up and grinning at him the best she could with her stone face. Eeeee, she squealed quietly, skittering after Tom at he lead the way. He didn't even have to say anything, really. She just didn't want to go by herself.

She did want to look at the Zoids, though. Pietra's jaw was parted in some semblance of a smile as she looked up at the Zoids they walked past. Some models she recognized, but others she didn't. Paying close attention to the newer Zoids, she whuffed at the back of Tom's head to get his attention, There's lot of Zoids here that I've never seen before, she chirred at him.

She found herself longing for her own Zoid, but none of the ones here really called to her. At least not yet... there were quite a few Zoids here to look at still.

"There's a lot of Zoids been developed since you were last around," Tom replied, strolling slowly down the row. The contents of his hangar always varied, but there were generally some staples around that apparently the Republic and Empire just couldn't do without. Things like Redlers of the black variety.

It was for either the rich or skilled pilots that he acquired more powerful Zoids, since he usually got paid on commission and paid very well. Considering the arms you had to break to find things like a Bio or a matched set of working Fuzors, it worked out decently enough. Tom couldn't remember if he had any of those hiding out in the back of the hangar at the moment or not.

She whirred with wonder at the new critters she didn't recognize, stopping to look them over when she saw something interesting. She didn't stray too far from Tom, though, always staying within arms reach of him.

The new Zoids got the most looks, which wasn't much of a surprise. She took a great interest in a Murasame BLOX hanging around, but the look didn't linger too long.

Pausing when she saw a black and red Genosaurer, she jerked back in surprise, as if she had just seen something scary, though it faded quickly and was replaced with realization. She studied the Deathsaurer-themed Genosaurer, and stood up on her hind legs to peer through the Zoids over at Zen where he was.

I just realized that Zen is a small Deathsaurer. Why do you have a small Deathsaurer? she peered down at Tom from where she was doing her best (unintentional) squirrel impression.

Tom looked up from where he was attempting to scrub a bit of dirt off an Arosaurer's claw. "Hm? Unfortunately enough, half the world owns those small Deathsaurers," he said, leaning back against the Arosaurer with a dour expression. As long as the Genosaurers were nice, he didn't mind them so much. Zen was a good, smart Zoid at least. It was the batshit ones he was always a bit wary of.

"They're very popular with the general public. I have one because I can afford one, and people in my line of work sometimes get robbed or molested frequently."

Or stuff just happens.

"In which case you become utterly useless, by the way,"

Excuse me, it was a BIO TYRANNO. Spare me for not wanting to be demolished like your hangar.

Tom rolled his eyes at the white Genosaurer, who huffed moodily from his lurking spot near the wall. "And his temperament is ill-suited to the kind of thing most people want a Genosaurer for."

While Pietra didn't have ears, she somehow gave the impression of pinning her ears back at the thought of lots of small Deathsaurers running around. It even looked like her horns shifted... or maybe it was a trick of the light. The armor plates on her neck flattened down, though, which was close enough.

So Zen is supposed to... keep you safe? she peered over at Zen and Captain. If she were capable of more facial expression, she would have looked disbelieving.

The Organoid whuffed a breath of still-stale air, and leaned down back onto all fours to continue walking. Her heavy frame wasn't suited to walking around on her back legs for too long, if at all. She didn't feel strong enough to try.

I kind of want a Zoid, she said as they walked, head rocking back and fourth to take in the sights of Zoids on either side of her, But... I don't know about any of these Zoids. They all feel too strong for me,

"Captain does a better job, I think." The golden Megaraptor stuck his head out and grinned toothily, to which Zen thumped him in the snout with his claws.

Tom looked thoughtful as they walked along, mentally taking stock of his inventory. He didn't really carry too many Zoids for beginners, since most of them wanted...things they couldn't handle but paid very well for anyway. He wasn't about to complain on that score.

"...I believe there is a junk pile on the other side of town," he said after a minute of thinking. "Zoids broken beyond repair usually end up there." What he didn't say was that most of them came in from the desert in questionable circumstances and he could usually recognize the damage as familiar. Either way, it was the only other place he could think of for finding a Zoid in somewhat whole condition.

Her stone tail dragged on the floor lazily, almost like it was too heavy for her to keep suspended above the ground in her current state. Luckily, it only dully scraped across the floor, and more damage seemed to be done to her tail then the metal floor. Bits of stone and dust trailed in her wake.

He's certainly not as... oh, I don't know the word for it. They're both threatening enough, but Captain fits a guarding role better, she scratched her nose, remembering how Captain had been hiding from the Gilvader down in the caverns. She looked bewildered... as much as a rock could, anyways.

...so they basically scare people away with appearances only? she asked innocently, looking away from Zen and Captain, back to Tom.

Stone armor grated together like a small rock slide, puffs of rock dust coming from her neck joint. Really? she thumped her tail on the ground a few more times, though wilted after a thought crossed her mind, Well, if they're beyond repair, what are we going to do with them?

Tom just looked at Zen and Captain, who blinked back innocently enough.

"Yes," he said after a minute. It was true, neither of his Zoids had ever actually had to attack anyone that he could remember. Zen made a face like he was sticking his tongue out.

Beginning his walk to the door, Tom paused and looked back at the organoid when she asked what they were going to do with the Zoids exactly. He opened his mouth, contemplating for a moment, then shut it for more silent thinking. "...I think you'll know once you see them," he commented finally, taking his paper out from under his arm as he walked out the door. Tom had long mastered the art of reading and walking at the same time, and he didn't think anybody would approach him with the stone beast following.

Pietra looked from the back of Tom's head to his two Zoids, and back again. She giggled a little bit when he confirmed that his Zoids were less then useful combat-wise, but stifled it quickly so she didn't offend Zen or Captain. She did rather like the two of them.

She clomped after him, tail still noisily dragging across the floor. Her head tilted, which was getting easier every time she did it, when he didn't speak. She kept quiet too, letting him sit and think of a response. Even when he said it, though, she still didn't quite understand.

Alright! she chirped, and faithfully clomped behind him, her tail clunking on the threshold of the door without her noticing.

The Organoid fell into step right behind Tom, and she very gently rested her chin on top of his head to read whatever it was he was reading. She seemed immersed in it, even though her glossy black eyes didn't show anything at all.

Tom didn't flinch when he suddenly had a stone hat, though he had to adjust his pace to keep from going faster than the organoid and prompting some more ball-and-chain aphorisms. As he suspected, nobody came too close to him once they saw the organoid clinging on. While organoids were a common enough thing around those parts, it might have been the fact that Pietra more resembled a stone zombie kept them away.

Armed with his crowdbreaker, Tom shuffled along reading his paper and glancing up occasionally to check the direction he was going. As long as he stayed on the main road, it was quick enough to get to one of the exits, and then the giant junk pile just beyond.

Pietra continued being a living stone hat, leaning forward slightly to get a better view of the paper Tom was reading. She was less then aware of what was going on around them, and didn't realize that she herself was deterring anyone from coming within ten feet of them. She was trying to imagine the things she was reading, and having a hard time of it.

Tom, what is a... 'stock'? she asked, shifting her head to the side to rest it on his shoulder instead, looking over the graphs and otherwise boring words about business.

She lifted her head and looked when the scenery changed and they were finally by the junkyard. The junked Zoids were lying around, some of them in heaps and some of them on their own. The organoid whirred curiously, pulling away from Tom and clomping over to the wreckage. She stopped well clear of most of the carcasses, almost like she was afraid of them.

Oddly enough, something felt familiar about this whole thing, but she wasn't sure exactly what. And that was what scared her.

Tom paused when Apoc asked what a stock was. He wasn't quite sure how to explain business terms to an organoid. "A stock represents a share of a company," he explained after a minute, "And people can own stock, which allows them to own a piece of the company. The more stock you have, the more of the company you own."

Once they reached the junkyard Tom folded up his paper and tucked it under his arm to resume reading later. He stood at the entrance and looked around, watching Apoc do her inspection of the mostly dead Zoids. Once it became clear she wasn't going to do anything immediately, he found himself a seat on the end of a stoned Sinker's nose and waited patiently for something to happen.

That made sense to her. Maybe it was because she had a slight connection with Tom's mind, and he understood the concept completely, or maybe it was because he explained it so simply. Either way, she bobbed her square head in understanding.

The organoid didn't do anything for quite a few minutes. She'd shift from side to side, head extended up as far as she could. Almost like a snake being charmed, she bobbed her head up and down, side to side, with some kind of music only she could hear.

She snapped her head back when she realized what she was doing, and slunk back to where Tom was sitting, Tom... I don't think I like it here. All the Zoids seem so sad and I feel funny, she ruffled the slabs of stoned over metal that stuck off of her back, and they grated and shifted.

Dipping her head down, she gently grabbed his sleeve and tugged on it, Come with me, at least? You can ride on my back if you're tired of walking, she chirped, letting go of him to level her head with his.

Tom wasn't quite sure what to do at this point, simply because he wasn't an organoid. What inspires organoids to fix Zoids wasn't exactly a well-known field of study.

"I think that's probably a normal phenomenon," he said after a moment of thought. It would make sense for broken Zoids to be sad since no one would fix them. Tom looked at the organoid's back, a slightly nervous expression on his face. Her back was adorned with rock. Pointy rock. Tom...didn't want that anywhere near his legs, thanks.

"I'll walk," sliding down the Sinker's nose, Tom brushed off his pants and looked around. "Perhaps if you try fixing one they won't be so sad anymore."

With Tom right beside her, the stone Organoid seemed slightly more brave, actually venturing out into the aisles between the broken down old Zoids and looking around. She could hear them all... resonating somewhere deep within her core. It wasn't a sensation she was used to, but she didn't really like it. It seemed all too familiar, reminded her too much of her weakened state under the lake.

Pietra shivered at the thought, I've never done anything like that before, though. I don't think I know how to do i-... she trailed off, ending in a keening noise when her blank eyes rested upon one of the Zoids. Turning, she ambled over to the dusty, dented white and faded red armor of the Zoid, and reared up to look at it.

I don't recognize this kind of Zoid. It looks really weird, she looked over the once-smooth plates of armor. The half-dead Victory Liger VF wasn't anything like the Zoids from her time, being a relatively new model, even by regular standards. Odd to see one laying here, but it wasn't like there were any others running around everywhere. It wasn't a well liked Zoid, sadly. The victory rex in particular looked like it had definitely seen better days. Prolly replaced by a fury or something, when the old pilot had gotten sick of it...

Tom refrained from commenting and kept walking, stopping only when Pietra went off on a detour to go examine one of the broken Zoids.

"It's a fusion," he said, leaning back against a stoned over something or other and observing the broken red and white armor. "Victory Liger and Victory Rex. They're...relatively new models," Tom wasn't quite sure if he wanted to explain that their origins lay in a time warp mindfuck.

"Do you want to try reviving with them? It might be complicated with two Zoids at once,"

Curiosity won the better of her, and she slunk forward, pulling herself up onto the broken zoid's slumped shoulder to perch there instead. So wait, this is two Zoids? How come they're stuck together? she questioned, hauling her heave frame up onto the back of the liger half.

Their names don't really fit where they are, though, she looked around the junkyard. It wasn't really a place you'd expect to find a Zoid with 'victory' in its name.

The surveyed the zoids quietly for about a minute, the black of her eyes flickering to slightly lighter shades for a moment. She seemed to decide something, and slid down the liger's side on her belly and to the ground with a thunk.

I think I will! I mean, I don't know, I just feel something about it that I like, she looked to Tom and rolled her shoulders, moving all her joints around like she was loosening them. The organoid crouched, and then hopped, like she was trying to fly but without wings.

Rrrgh. she growled, frustrated, and crouched down till her chest was touching the ground to try again. Abruptly, the pieces sticking out of her back stuck straight up and exploded open, becoming four sets of bright white-silver feathered wings.

Whatever snapped on the outside seemed to snap something on the inside too, because the cracks between the organoid's plates of armor glowed a pale blue and this time when she jumped, the light covered her whole body and she turned into a blue-gray streak, did a short arc up into the air, and came down into the fuzor, covering it in the same light as it started to heal and stand.

"Because it's a fusion," Tom shrugged his shoulders a bit. "Fusing isn't quite a well known science yet." Other than get two Zoids and hope something in their cores triggered to mash them together. Most of the fuzors Tom knew were rather clingy, possessive, and overly violent. He would rather hope this would not be the case here.

"That's good?" He didn't know what other advice to give her, since the workings of organoids was best left to organoids. Tom watched her hop around for a minute before she finally figured out where all her wings where and was off like a rocket into the downed Zoid. A small concussive wave of energy rolled out from the VF that rattled him on his seat and blew a wave of dust up into his face. Tom tried to block it as best he could with his paper while he coughed, squinting against the light to see how the process was coming along.

Shattered and decayed armor started to live and regrow, while the bent pieces creaked as they were forced back into place by an invisible hand. While all this was going on, the zoid rolled its shoulders and adjusted its joints. The dead armor sluffed off as it was replaced, hitting the ground and shattering into pieces.

Huuuuh, she drawled slowly, her voice more coming directly from the Zoid's chest then its mouth, Am I supposed to be hearing voices? she asked innocently, the zoid looking down at Tom as it slowly repaired and glowed faintly in the bright daytime.

Tom practically had his paper over his head at this point, since there were bits of armor fragments flying everywhere and he didn't want to get one of those in the eye.

"That depends. Is it one voice or two?" He asked, peering cautiously out from under the paper and coughing once. His pants were covered with dust and looked rather brown, which meant laundry when he got home. "It's not unusual for a Zoid to talk."

The armor finally seemed to be done regrowing, or at least the dead pieces stopped chipping off and falling to the ground. The white zoid shifted again, getting the stone bits to fall off and get out of the areas between the joints, to fall to the ground. It leaned down close to Tom, the white armored nose just a few feet away from him.

Two. And they're really loud, she shook off again, stretching a foreleg out and flexing the claws in the air. She set the leg down and did it with the rest of the limbs, slowly to make sure everything worked alright.

I guess I just wasn't expecting there to be louder voices then normal, that's all. she made the zoid do a full body shake, getting the remaining dust and debris off. The white armor shined like new, even if some dust still stubbornly clung to its frame.

Tom's plan to stop getting covered in dust? Not working. His paper was practically sagging over his head with the weight of the dirt.

"I imagine that's because they are still two Zoids, even if they look like one right now," he said, stepping back when chunks of rock began to drop from the Victory kitty's underside. Somewhere between trying not to get squished or more dirty, he pondered the thought of new shoes, or if just throwing them in the washing machine forever would work.

As for the voices thing, he didn't even know really. Tom could speak to Zoids, but not quite that way. "If someone was sitting inside me, I would probably sound very loud too," he commented before running like hell to hide behind something else until the dust shower finished. "Maybe you should try making them split?"

She forced the liger to huff a few times, getting more dust and debris out of its mouth. The rock dust flew over Tom's head by quite a distance this time, since she really wasn't trying to get the poor man dirty. Finally satisfied with the state of things in her new Zoid, she again leaned it down to his level to listen better.

I guess. I'm not sure if I like it, she pondered aloud, finding a reflective piece of metal and trying to look at the zoid she was fused to with it, like a mirror.

Well how do I do that? she put the piece down again, carefully on the ground away from Tom. The white Zoid turned its head, trying to see the contraption on its back that was the other zoid. It sure didn't look like another zoid, but the records were indicating otherwise!

I guess I can try. Let's see, she padded a bit away from Tom, and to a spot where there was more room. They stopped there, the liger's claws kneading into the earth while Pietra looked for the process that would split the two zoids apart. She happened upon it by accident, and the two zoids split with a flash of light and a start.

The victory rex reconfigured in a heap on the ground, tail-thing twitching, Oh wow, I have legs. When did this happen? he rumbled woozily, lifting his head and trying to look around as his head wobbled on his neck.

"Find a way to turn it off, then." Tom looked up from his hiding place and looked rather annoyed, mostly because he couldn't supply the answers to any of these questions. It wasn't like he could steal dead organoids to dissect them or anything...

And he missed his chance with Steely already. Woah time paradox!

Tom shook his head a few times like a wet dog, sending dust flying in the process. That was weird. But now the Zoid was moving off, and a few seconds later there were two Zoids there. The poor Victory Rex was left flailing around in the dirt wondering what happened, and Tom didn't have too much of a detailed answer for that either. "When you got ejected five seconds ago?" He offered to the white dino, shrugging and cautiously crawling up over the lump of stone he was hiding behind. He didn't think there was going to be any more dust or rocks flying through the air anytime soon.

Oh yeah, huh, the rex rumbled, almost like he was amused by the thought. His bearings came back to him, and he leaned down on his forearms to squint at Tom, Who are you?

That is Tom! And I am Pietra, the organoid fell out of the liger instead of gracefully arcing out of it, and scrambled to her feet as quickly as her heavy body would allow. Who are yoooou? she whirred curiously, bouncing a little with excitement.

The rex scratched the base of his neck, I don't have a name. Was never given one, he sniffed.

At that point, the liger jerked his head up on his own, and looked around. Ach! Wha's going oon here?

Oh by Raikou, another one. What is it with me and heavy Scottish accents.

Hey look Paladin, we're alive again, the rex tapped his chest with his claws for emphasis.

Hoo?

I don't know, but I think the little one there had something to do with it,

Paladin, the liger, stuck his face down right by Tom and Pietra, eyeing them both. The organoid continued to smile brightly. Yeah! I fused to you guys, and then you were really loud inside my head. Your accent makes you hard to understand, did you know that? she asked the big liger, who blankly stared back.

Eh? Whit ye mean?

See? she looked at Tom, who no doubt had enough of multilanguaged zoids for the rest of his lifetime and the next one after that.

At this point, Tom was wondering why he didn't carry some sort of gun. It seemed like everybody had guns nowadays. Not that he was going to shoot anybody except himself, but hey. It was preferable to the continued barrage of... concentrated weirdness.

Also, completely at a loss with the Victory Liger. "I... am only beginning to become vaguely fluent in French accent," Tom mumbled, rubbing at the bridge of his nose and letting the unfamiliar accent slosh through his brain. There was the thought that he could get his dog to translate, but then he remembered his dog was at home in a wastebasket. Well, that was actually hopeful at this point, Zip had probably broken out and was making a mess of his office. Hopefully she could limit her aggressions to Kouki's stolen shoes.

"Well, if you have two Zoids you like, why don't we go back to my shop," Tom suggested, looking up at the Zoid he could understand and then over at Pietra. "I can run them through a scanner just to make sure everything looks okay from a sudden revival and all."

Oh, French is easy, she waggled her tail with joy, not realizing that language was something that was somewhat difficult for some people to acquire. She didn't realize that her almost natural fluency of French almost immediately was really bizarre. Though I don't recognize why your voice sounds weird,

Ma voice dinnae soond weird.

The rex quietly moved closer and sat near them so he could hear, but he wasn't as outgoing as his fusion partner. So many years of being defeated and mangled would do that to you. It also seemed to give him a mental shield against the 'concentrated weirdness'. He just shrugged at Tom when the man looked at him.

Works for me.

The organoid beamed and hopped up, hopping around her new zoids' feet, Oh boy oh boy this'll be fun. We'll take you two home and make sure you're alright and then we can go on an adventure! Or something, she looked hopefully at Tom, even though she knew full well that he was a boring sort who stayed at home and was a perfectly respectable business-dude by selling zoids to folks who couldn't handle them. Yes.

But she could dream.

So your name is Paladin, huh? Your friend needs a name too, she bobbed her head at the rex as they headed back to Tom's place, however they decided to go. He wouldn't ride on Pietra's back, but the zoids cockpits worked just fine if he felt like it. You need a happy name, since you were so sad before. A wish is a nice thing, right? And I was wishing for a good zoid, and you were wishing to get out of there.... so you're like... the master of wishes! I think Wishmaster suits you,

The rex scratched his face with some feeling of embarrassment, but he didn't dislike the name. It just seemed kind of girly. From what little he had seen, the organoid was pretty sweet and would be a lot better then his last owner, so he didn't say anything.

Tom didn't feel much like riding in their cockpits, either. He instead chose to just sit on one of Paladin's front paw cuffs and hold on for dear life. At least he was rather good at balancing.

"I think that's because he's Scottish," he said, tilting his head up at the Liger and hm'ing. Time to break out those copies of Braveheart and brush up on Scottish accent now too.

"Also, are these adventures within fifty miles of my house?" Although depending on where his next shipment was coming from, Tom could consider mild traveling. The beach sounded nice, for starters; even though there was enough sand around this place to last forever.

Luckily for Tom, Paladin had a gentle walk that didn't throw the man around too much, if at all. Or maybe he was doing that intentionally because he knew Tom was there. The Zoid might have been incomprehensible, but he wasn't exactly unkind. Pietra had scrambled up onto Wish's head, and pointed to give them directions.

Aye, tha is it, he nodded at Tom. Pietra was listening, but also scrambling around Wish's armor like an ant to look at every little thing. The two Zoids stopped at Tom's hangar, and the organoid was suddenly right next to the man with what was her best attempt at a huge grin.

If they are, will you come!? she squeaked, a few inches away from nuzzling his face with joy.

The white pair of fuzors peered into the hangar, hoping they wouldn't be shot on sight or something silly like that.

"Uh," hello rough rock surface about to take off his skin cells. "Perhaps? If they aren't a danger to my health." Eve knew his health insurance premium had gone up a bit after having his second hangar catch on fire and being subsequently destroyed. It had taken Tom a while to convince the insurance company to lower it back down. Goodness.

Zen and Captain were actually snoozing when the two fuzors stuck their heads in, the dinosaurs curled up side by side with their tails around their noses. Tom slid off of Paladin's cuff and walked around to the front of the door, his hands on his hips as he glared at his Zoids. Maybe it was time to invest in something that would actually guard his hangar. "The two of you might want to duck for this," he advised, before cupping his hands around his mouth and yelling. "GILVADER ATTACK!"

The two dinosaurs jumped up with a scream, flailing around in a little ball that ended up being one knot of metal when they shoved their heads under each other and cowered. Tom sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need to see if I can rent out Rosie's Genos..."

The organoid squealed happily and very gently rubbed her face against Tom's cheek. Her armored 'skin' wasn't as rough as it had been before; it must have been smoothing out as time passed and things regrew. It was still like having your face attacked with sand paper, though.

Wish heeded Tom's warning with great haste, like he fully expected to be shot at. He ducked out of sight and Paladin kept watching from the side of the doorway, head tilted.

The dragon fluttered awkwardly after Tom, not used to using her wings, and dropped down heavily behind him to watch. She giggled at them as they proved how useless they were.

I could protect your hangar! she beamed, sitting up on her haunches and baring her silver, razor sharp teeth that she'd grown back inside her stone jaws. Her mouth slid shut and she went back down onto all fours, scratching the ground with a claw, Though, I do want to go see Murtagh. Maybe with these two, it won't be so scary? I do kind of want another Zoid, though. Maybe later! she giggled, a half-musical sound now, but still with the grating.

Hi guys, she chirped at the two, and waved her zoids to come inside, Thiiiis is Paladin and Wishy! Guys, this is Zen and Captain!

Paladin respectfully bowed his head to the pair, and Wish finally came out from hiding and waved his stubby claws.

Tom chuckled slightly, rubbing at the red patch forming on his cheek where he'd just been sandpaper'd by an organoid. "Yes, I could see that. You could be my bouncer and wear a bowtie and sit at the door and kick idiots out on their ass." Meanwhile, his Zoids were realizing that there was, in fact, no Gilvader attacking and were uncurling from their ball of defense to blink owlishly at the Victory pair standing in the doorway.

Uh. Hi.

Bonjour. The Megaraptor bobbed his snout up and down before shoving half of Zen off of him and wrinkling his snout down at Tom. Zat waz meen.

Yeaaah. What if a Gilvy actually attacks now and we don't believe you? We'll be screwed! Zen whined, and kicked Captain in the hip.

Tom rolled his eyes and turned away from the two. "Hopefully you'll be able to defend yourselves, then."

Pietra seriously seemed to consider that, even going so far as to sit on her haunches again and adjust an invisible bow tie around the base of her neck.

I would look good in a bow.

Ah dinnae git why ye be so afraid o'a Gilvader. Wishy 'ere 'as been killed by one afore, ah think, he looked at his other half, who bowed his head and rubbed his claws together.

Yeah, I think so. I don't really remember, though. I got better, he looked back up at the other two, though his pseudo-Zoidy-smile was pretty strained, if that's was even possible.

You guys just need like. Bravery lessons or something! the organoid bubbled over at Zen and Captain. She paused and scratched her nose, Speaking of bravery, I think I might try to brave the creepy glowing green place to see Murtagh. Especially since I have these two now! They'll keep me safe.

Wish seemed to have a look that suggested that he was actually the one that needed to be protected.

That would give you time to plan our adventure! she beamed at Tom again. Man this Organoid is dead set on dragging Tom halfway across the desert, isn't she?

"You would. A nice black silk bow, maybe with a little collar to go along with it..."

Both Zen and Captain gave Paladin a look that suggested Gilvaders had somehow changed in scariness over the past howevermany years. Then again, their only experiences with the buggers were with Shinigami and Shinon, who I'm not sure are very good representatives of their species. Shinon in particular was forever grouchy whenever they had to hitch a ride on him.

"I'm not sure if it's bravery lessons they need so much as an adjustment to their programming," Tom observed dryly as he itched something in his hair and frowned when he found a chunk of rock armor in it. He slowly raised an eyebrow when the stone organoid mentioned wanting to go and see Murtagh in the scary glowing place. Having been told quite colorful descriptions of that place, Tom was half sure at least ten somethings would be ambushing the Victory pair just to see what the hell they were. "I don't know if just these two would be enough. Perhaps you'd like to look in the back again and see if there's something else you want to take?"

Planning adventures, oh boy. Not until Tom'd had a shower and done some laundry.